Automated transaction machines include automated banking machines. A common type of automated banking machine is an automated teller machine (“ATM”). ATMs may be used to perform transactions such as dispensing cash, accepting deposits, making account balance inquiries, paying bills and transferring funds between accounts. ATMs and other types of automated banking machines may be used to dispense documents such as tickets, scrip, vouchers, checks, gaming materials, receipts or other documents. While many types of automated banking machines, including ATMs, are operated by consumers, other types of automated banking machines may be operated by service providers. Such automated banking machines may be used by service providers to provide cash or other types of sheets or documents when performing transactions for customers. For purposes of this disclosure, an automated banking machine shall be construed as any machine that is capable of carrying out transactions which include transfers of value.
A popular brand of automated banking machine is manufactured by Diebold, Incorporated, the assignee of the present invention. Such automated banking machines are capable of selectively dispensing sheets to users of the machine. A sheet dispensing mechanism used in such machines includes a picking mechanism which delivers or “picks” sheets generally one at a time from a stack of sheets stored within the machine. The sheets are transported through one or more transports within the machine and eventually delivered to a user. A picking mechanism used in some Diebold automated banking machines is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,720, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The picking mechanism includes a rotating picking member that comprises a plurality of cylindrical portions disposed along a shaft. Each cylindrical portion includes a high friction segment along a portion of the circumference. These high friction segments are sized and positioned such that upon each rotation of the picking member, an end note bounding an end of the stack is exposed to the moving high friction segment. Such exposure causes the end note to be moved away from the stack in engagement with the moving cylindrical portions of the picking member.
Disposed adjacent to each of the cylindrical portions of the picking member and in the direction of rotation of the picking member relative to the stack when picking the notes, is at least one stripping member. A stripping member is disposed in generally abutting relation with each of the cylindrical portions of the picking member. Each stripping member is generally circular and generally does not rotate during rotation of the picking member in a note picking direction. The stripping member generally operates to prevent all but the end note from moving out of the stack upon rotation of the picking member. The stripping member operates to prevent generally all but the end note from being delivered from the stack because the force applied by the picking member directly on the end note exceeds the resistance force applied by the stripping member to the end note. However the resistance force of the stripping member acting on notes in the stack other than the end note, because such notes are not directly engaged with the picking member, generally prevents the other notes from moving from the stack.
In the exemplary embodiment of the picking mechanism, the stripping members are each supported through one-way clutch mechanisms. These one-way clutch mechanisms prevent the stripping members from turning responsive to the force applied to the stripping members as the picking member moves to pick a note. However the one-way clutch in connection with each stripping member enables each stripping member to rotate in a direction opposite to that which the stripping member is urged to move during picking. This is useful in situations where a doubles detector senses that more than one note has moved past the stripping member. In such circumstances a controller operating in the banking machine may operate to cause the picking member to rotate in an opposed direction, which is the opposite of the direction in which the picking member normally moves when picking a note. As the picking member moves in this opposed direction, the stripping member rotates so as to facilitate the movement of the multiple sheets back toward the stack. Once the multiple sheets have been moved back toward the stack and beyond the stripping member, the controller may operate to cause the picking mechanism to again try to pick a single note from the stack.
In many existing automated banking machines produced by the assignee of the present invention, notes that are picked from the dispenser are moved through a transport of the type shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,165, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Such transports include a plurality of generally parallel and transversely disposed belt flights which move the notes in engagement therewith. Disposed between each adjacent pair of belt flights is a projecting member. The projecting member generally extends to at least the level of the sheet engaging surfaces of the adjacent belt flight. As a result sheets are captured in sandwiched relation between the projecting members and the belt flight. This sandwiching of the sheets causes the sheets to move with the moving belt flights to selected locations in the machine. For example as shown in the incorporated disclosure, the sheets are moved in engagement with the belt flight into a stack. Once the stack of sheets has been accumulated, the stack is engaged with belt flights so that it can be moved to be presented to a user of the machine.
The sheet dispenser mechanisms and transports described are highly reliable and have been used extensively in automated banking machines. However, problems can sometimes be encountered in the picking and transport of sheets. In some circumstances sheets may have relatively high surface tension and an affinity for adjacent sheets. This may prevent an end note from being readily separated from a stack of sheets. Alternatively an end note may be worn or soiled in a way that reduces its frictional properties. In such cases an end note may be more resistant to the forces of the high friction segment on the picking member and will not readily separate from the stack. In alternative situations the picking mechanism may be picking a type of sheet which is plasticized or otherwise has reduced frictional properties relative to the high friction segment on the picking member. In such circumstances picking the end note from a stack may prove more difficult to accomplish reliably.
Difficulties in picking sheets may also be encountered due to wear or malfunctions. After extended use the high friction segments on a picking member can become worn. This results in the segments providing less engaging force to move an end note. Alternatively or in addition, high friction segments may become soiled with use, which may also have the effect of reducing the frictional properties of the picking member. The currency canisters which hold the stack of notes also provide a biasing force to hold the end note in abutting relation with the picking member. As a result of damage or wear, the mechanism which provides the biasing force may not provide as great a force biasing the end note to engage the picking member as may be desirable to achieve highly reliable picking of sheets.
In circumstances where the picking member has difficulty picking a note, the note fails to move in coordinated relation with the high friction segments on the cylindrical portions of the picking member. The high friction segments may rotate past the end note leaving the end note generally in the stack. When this situation occurs the machine controller generally operates so that repeated attempts are made to pick the note. If the note cannot be removed from the stack, the machine may operate in accordance with its programming to provide notes from other supplies through other picking mechanisms within the machine. Alternatively the machine may indicate a malfunction and be placed out of service. In either case the extended transaction time or complete inability to carry out a user's transaction presents a significant inconvenience to the user of the machine.
In some alterative embodiments and circumstances notes or other media may be deformed by the action of the picking member and the stripping member. In such circumstances the leading edge of the note may be nicked and/or crumpled by engagement with the stripping member. Such deformed notes may prove difficult to handle in the machine. For example, the deformed portion of the note may be detected as a double note by a doubles detector within the machine. This may cause the note to be diverted as one not deliverable to a machine user. Alternatively such a note if detected as a double may be returned to the stack in an effort to separate the sensed double notes. The further picking and stripping action on the already deformed note may further exacerbate the problem.
Notes with less than optimum properties may also cause problems when being transported within the machine. Notes that have become wet or soiled may adhere to the projecting members and may fail to move with the belt flights in the transport. Notes that are slippery or have unduly low friction may not produce sufficient engaging force with the moving belt flights and may not move in coordinated relation with the belt flights. Likewise unduly worn or limp notes may not achieve normal engaging force with the belt flights and may become stuck or otherwise fail to move in a transport.
These conditions also present the potential for delaying a transaction or placing a machine out of service. The problem of notes sticking in a transport may also result in the misdispensing of notes. In some circumstances notes may be crumpled or damaged due to transport problems.
Thus there exists a need for improvements to picking mechanisms and sheet transports used in automated banking machines. There further exists a need for improvements to picking mechanisms and transports used in automated banking machines that can be readily installed in existing machines to facilitate use with notes and sheet types having a wider range of properties.